


My Monster On A Leash

by helloBoBo



Category: Original Work
Genre: Cassie just stop before you get hurt, Cuddling & Snuggling, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, Gentle Sex, Gentle man tames brutal killer, Gentleness, Killer on a leash, Killers are like loyal dogs, Love, Loyalty, M/M, Mentions of Past Murder, Mild Sexual Content, Mostro, Original Character(s), Pillow Talk, Possessive Behavior, Protective killer, Protectiveness, Size Difference, Stubborn, The Godfather - Freeform, experimental snippet from something that could be developed further, mafia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-03
Updated: 2015-01-03
Packaged: 2018-03-05 04:54:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,613
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3106793
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/helloBoBo/pseuds/helloBoBo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Members of the Fabriano Family have been traditionally protected by a mostro, or a 'monstrous' killer whose loyalty is absolute. Giovanni is the ward of the Family's current mostro, a brutal man named Gian. From the age of four, Giovanni is assigned to be the personal mostro of the youngest son of Don Fabriano, Casio. As they grow up together, Giovanni finds himself falling in love with his padrone. Threats to his padrone, a truly gentle man with nothing but kindness in his heart, are quickly eliminated. Giovanni holds no regard for human life, but for Casio who holds his leash, Giovanni would slaughter the world.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Beginnings of Attachment

**Author's Note:**

> Experimental first submission~! A snapshot of a world that I'm playing with in my head. I really, really love the trope "Brutal killer tamed by gentle individual who evokes protective feelings" and I really, really love Mafia settings. Like The Godfather. There just aren't enough Mafia stories here. I also really love Hannibal Lecter/Will Graham stories. Neither 'Will' or 'Hannibal' are very traditionally Mafia-esque names, but they fit the trope and if I decide to mould this further, perhaps I'll come back and make this entirely a Hannibal/Will fic for the sake of temptation.

       Giovanni was just four years old when little Casio was born into the Family as Don Antioco Fabriano’s final and youngest child. Casio was preceded by two brothers and a sister. Matteo, the eldest child and the next in line to be Don, was already fifteen. Apollonia, the second eldest, was a twelve year old terror who delighted in proving women could be just as fierce as men, if not more so. Benito, or Beni, was now the second youngest at seven, and was a slightly spoiled but gentle soul who would much rather play with his toys than learn how to dismantle a gun or ‘drop-and-reload’ at the hands of Paulie, the “general” of sorts of the Family.

       Giovanni, or Gio, as he was nicknamed with gruff affection by the Family’s current _mostro_ and his mentor Gian, was present when Lady Rosa Fabriano went into labour at the hospital. The visit was unplanned—Lady Fabriano was nearly a month and a half early—but a quick call to the hospital to put into motion instructions that had been given months earlier took care of all the arrangements necessary. As the Family’s beast-on-a-chain, Gian was called to stand watch outside her room along with a few of his men.

       He would have stood guard gladly, though, without the orders. Normally having no regard for human life other than his own, his ward, and the small group of people he deemed “his”, Gian was devoted beyond words to the good Lady and would more than willingly lay down his life for hers, if needed. Gio, having no other guardian, had been sat on a little stool against the wall ever since he had been picked up from playgroup that afternoon by one of the Family. Gian sent one of his men to get a snack for the boy and coffee and cannoli for everybody else standing watch in the private wing. After making sure the boy was deeply immersed in a book about the planets—the boy was smart and curious beyond words (his favourite question was ‘why?’) and Gian saw no reason to discourage his intellect—and settled in with a giant bear claw pastry, Gian returned to his post outside Lady Fabriano’s door.

       As the hours passed, Gian felt himself becoming worried, a feeling he was unfamiliar with, and therefore uncomfortable with. His orders had been to stay outside and deter (read ‘incapacitate in varying degrees of severity’) intruders with dubious intentions. The two Family-approved doctors and several nurses had been passing in and out of the room over the last couple hours, their faces carefully blank as they passed Lady Fabriano’s “cousins”. One nurse, her face kindly, had noticed his tension and placing a gentle hand on his arm, had encouraged him to sit for a moment. Making a great effort not to react impulsively and break her hand, Gian had smiled tightly—grimaced, really—and sat down, only to jump back up as soon as she had turned the corner. He paced in tight circles, much like a dog concerned about its owner.

       “Uncle Gian?”

       Gian’s head snapped around to look at Giovanni, who by now had finished his bear claw and had crumbs all over himself. Giovanni was looking at him, his little face scrunched up in an approximation of puzzled concern.

       “What?”

       Giovanni marked his page carefully and slid down off the stool to come stand next to Gian. “Is Lady Fabriano okay?”

       The _mostro_ handed the boy his handkerchief and motioned for Gio to brush himself off. “Yes.” Hopefully. “Go finish your book. Or sleep.”

       Shortly sometime after eleven that night, a baby’s outraged cry suddenly broke the relative quiet of the hospital wing. Giovanni, who had fallen asleep covered with a leather jacket on the lap of one of Gian’s men, a big, ugly, hulking bear of a man known only as Big Petey, started awake. He accidentally knocked his head against Big Petey’s chin with the suddenness of his motion.

       “I’m sorry, Uncle Petey!” Gio said worriedly, running small hands over the murderer’s face in apology. To Big Petey, it felt like tickling butterflies and he gave a rumbling chuckle.

       “Your hit feel like mosquito. You cannot hurt me, little mosquito,” he rumbled, his voice like gravel. He picked Giovanni up easily and set him on his feet, taking back his jacket.

      Gian was by the door, his intimidating mug nearly touching the glass as he tried to see if his mistress was alright. He hadn’t been given permission to come in yet, though, and the frustration was clear in the tense lines of his back. Giovanni, however, as a child….

       Turning around, Gian stepped back and motioned to his ward. “You should go in. See the baby,” he said mildly. He gestured towards Lady Fabriano’s door. Nodding, Giovanni walked hesitantly to where two men were standing guard. They smiled at him, one ruffling his hair, and opened the door for him.

       Peering around the door, Gio was noticed by the Don himself, an imposing figure dressed in a slate grey three-piece suit standing by the bed. Antioco nodded once and beckoned him forward solemnly.

       “Come, Gio.”

       Obediently, Giovanni trotted forward and was ushered to Rosa’s bedside where she lay cradling the new-born wrapped snugly in soft blankets. She smiled at Gio, her eyes tired but her face still kindly and beautiful, and shifted so that the boy could see the newest blood member of the Fabriano Family.

       “His name is Casio, Gio.”

       Open-mouthed, Gio stared at the minutes-old infant. His eyes were closed and his fists tiny as they waved sleepily outside the confines of the swaddling clothes.

       “He’s so _red_ ,” Giovanni finally said.

       Lady Fabriano smiled and the Don gave one of his rare laughs. “That’s because he was just born, Gio. He’ll be less red in a day or so.”

       “Oh….”

       There was a light knock on the door. Lady Fabriano raised her head slightly to see who was in the narrow window. She smiled, seeing the _mostro_ ’s face, and nodded to Gio to go open the door.

       “Godfather,” Gian said respectfully, bowing as soon as he entered the room. Don Fabriano nodded gracefully. His wife was less formal and gestured for her _mostro_ to come closer. He came, an expression of protectiveness and relief on his face. “My Lady. I—”

       She shushed him. “Always so stiff, Gian. Relax and welcome the newest member of our Family, Casio.” She offered the bundle to Gian to hold. He took the bundle gingerly, as if he was almost expecting the violence he carried within himself to harm the child. The Don must have been thinking similarly, for he tensed noticeably before Rosa shot him a look.

       Noticing his boy standing on tiptoe to try and see, Gian crouched down carefully to let the boy see. “It’s going to be your job to look after Casio and to protect him, Gio.”

       Antioco put a gentle hand on Gio’s shoulder. “Yes, can you do that for me, Gio?”

       Gio looked at the baby, how fragile and innocent he was, then up at the Don, then back down at the baby—Casio, he reminded himself—before nodding seriously. “Yes, Godfather. I will protect Casio with my life,” he declared fiercely.

      The Don smiled and pulled Giovanni close to him. “I know you will.”


	2. Slip The Leash

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Giovanni's got his work cut out for him with this one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short chapter! Mild sexy times in next chapter!

       Casio grew up a sickly child. He had been born more than a month early and had weighed just 4 pounds 5 ounces at birth. With his weak constitution and delicate build, Casio wasn’t able to run around and play with the other children as much as he would’ve liked, and he certainly wasn’t able to stand up to the roughhousing of the boys. More than once, one of the Family was called to pick up both Casio and Giovanni from school. Casio, because he had sustained some injury from a classmate playing too rough or had just had an episode of either coughing or asthma. Gio, because he had inevitably lashed out at Casio’s injurer and had received a war wound of his own, on top of detention alongside the original offender.

       To be fair, none of the boys who injured Casio actually intended to hurt him. Casio was a gentle soul whose quiet words of ubiquitous acceptance, large blue-green eyes, and halo of dark russet curls evoked likeability rather than urges to bully. It was just that Casio refused to accept his physical limitations and begged to play alongside the older boys in Gio’s year in their games. The other boys, with their older age, heavier builds and adolescent inability to fully control their own strength yet, would look at each other helplessly before nodding. They would flinch at the hard stare of the ever-present Gio, who at the age of fifteen was already boasting more lean muscle than the rest of them thanks to Gian, and steel themselves for a thorough head-knocking should Casio get hurt.

       One boy had bravely asked Gio one day why he still allowed Casio to play if he knew Casio would only get hurt. After staring down his classmate, who by then had begun to cold sweat, Gio had said, “Because it’s good that he’s determined and refuses to see a wall without attempting to scale it.” As he started to walk away to free hour, Gio added over his shoulder, “However, that doesn’t mean I’m okay with you fucking gorillas knocking him about mindlessly.”

       Scrapes and minor bruises were forgiven, but once, in the early days, an older boy named Steve had gotten swept up in the heat of the game and body-slammed Casio to the ground.

       Play had immediately screeched to a halt and a dead silence had fallen over the field. The silence had been broken only by the weak wheezing and whistling whimpers of Casio, pinned beneath Steve. The realisation of what he’d just done had hit Steve like a bucket of ice water, cutting through the adrenaline haze of the game, and pushing him back from Casio like an electric shock. Giovanni had sprinted across the field to Casio’s side, cold fury evident on his face.

       After assessing Casio to have severely bruised ribs and a tender spot on his head but nothing more and fussing over him a bit, Gio had called a number on his mobile and had spoken to someone rapidly in rough Italian. The other boys had slowly gathered around them, worried for Casio. One, a mild-mannered giant named Reno, had crouched down and coaxed Casio up to lean back against him so he could feed him some water from a bottle someone had thoughtfully brought along with them.

       When he had finished speaking with whoever was on the other end, Gio had looked at Steve appraisingly before pulling back and slugging him hard on the jaw.

       In the end, Steve had had to be sent to hospital with a fractured jaw and a pulped face and Gio was placed on a month’s suspension. Casio had been scolded by his mother for his stubbornness and alternatingly chided and gruffly praised by his father during his ordered week of bed-rest. Paulie had laughed and presented him with a beautiful set of knuckledusters, saying he always knew Casio was a hardhead. Gian, the man of few words that he was, had come by one day and just looked at him silently for a moment before nodding in approval and patting him once on the shoulder. Leaving, Gian thought to himself that his ward had his work seriously cut out for him with this one.


	3. Unacceptable Risk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> People get killed, Casio's upset, and Giovanni kisses it better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Casio brings out the lovin' in Giovanni. I'm not very good at writing sex...and this is my first one...so please bear with me....

_Nine years later_

       “Giovanni, get out here! I know you’re home!” Casio shouted, slamming the penthouse’s door behind him. “Gio!” He threw his jacket angrily on the closest couch and loosened the top button of his shirt, feeling suffocated. He ran his hands through his hair, inciting the already ruffled curls into riot.

       Gio appeared from the kitchen. “Hey, Cas. What’s wrong?”

       “Don’t you ‘what’s wrong, Cas’ me, Gio!” Casio shouted. He was practically shaking with anger. He marched up to his _mostro_ to glare up at him, undeterred by the height difference. “The police just pulled Harry Nowne’s body from the river, his throat cut. His fingers were found in an envelope in his pocket! I know you did it, Gio, I know you did it!”

       Gio didn’t deny or confirm the accusation, just stated, “He was harassin’ you, Casio. He bruised your arm last week at the bar.”

       The youngest heir to the Fabriano Family stared at Gio in disbelief. “You can’t be serious. You slit his throat because he got a bit close at a bar? He had a _family_ , Gio, a mother and father and a little sister!”

       “He had a rap sheet with the police as a registered sex offender and was borderline obsessed with you. He was an unacceptable risk.”

       Casio gave a disbelieving cry and stormed into the kitchen, where Gio found him pouring a _very_ generous drink of Dalmore scotch. Ignoring his _mostro_ for the moment, Casio took a deep drink, wincing slightly at the fire of the alcohol hitting his throat.

       “I didn’t mean to upset you, Cas,” Gio said quietly. “I just want to protect you.”

       Casio drained the glass and refilled it again. He stared down at the amber liquid, swirling it around.

       “I know,” he said quietly, finally. “It’s just…I’m not like you, or Papa, or Matteo. Or anybody in the Family. I can’t—I can’t,” he stopped, trying to find the words to voice his feelings. “I don’t know if I can stomach people being killed. Especially _for_ me.”

       He took another gulp. Gio made a silent note to begin monitoring his _padrone_ ’s alcohol consumption. It seemed a bit high lately. “I know you’re just doing what you think is right, and what Papa wants you to do, but I can’t—Try to see it from my point of view. People around me coming up dead all the time. Not only does it look suspicious, but I’m standing in the middle of a circle of death, Gio! Ever since I came to university, four—no, five now—people had been found dead, all with some connection to me! Papa’s taken care of the press and police, but it’s starting to look bad! Gio….” Casio sighed, covering his face with his hands. Gio heard a soft sniffle and immediately went to his side, like a dog going to comfort his master.

       “Hey. Talk to me, Cassie,” Gio whispered, drawing the smaller male close to his chest. His arm, steely with the muscle that comes not from careful sculpting at the gym but from daily physical labour, wrapped easily around Casio’s still slender waist. His other arm went around his upper body, embracing Casio in a comforting cage of protection. He placed a gentle kiss on his _padrone_ ’s temple. “Tell me.”

       He felt Casio smile at the kiss. The boy took his work-rough, callused hand in his own delicate, soft ones, one thumb stroking up and down the skin gently.

       “I…I understand why Papa and the Family think they need to kill sometimes,” Casio began haltingly. “I can’t help but see the families behind them, though. What if they had little kids? An ailing mother? I can’t justify _their_ suffering next to the death of their murdered loved one. I just want to _love_ everybody. I don’t want to hurt people, Gio, but the Family has killed so many people _for_ me, and I don’t know how to accept that.”

       “This is our way of life, Cassie love,” Gio said softly. “We look after our own, they look after theirs. Unfortunately, sometimes innocents are hurt in the process. That is life. To cross us is an unforgivable offence. We can’t show weakness or we’ll be the ones windin’ up dead. You’ve always had people watching over you, so you experienced the minimum of the ugliness of our world. The world ain’t pretty, love.”

       “I _know_ it isn’t pretty, Gio,” Casio said, a wobbly note of frustration in his voice. “But I wish we didn’t have to add to it. Why have you had to kill so many people for me, Gio?”

       “Because evil likes to shred everything innocent and you, Cassie love, are unfortunately the poster boy for innocence,” Gio said bluntly, though not unkindly. “It’s just the way things are, and I won’t stand by and watch you get hurt when it’s something I could’ve prevented. It’s us or them, and I choose us.”

       Casio’s expression flickered, as if he couldn’t decide what he was feeling. His entire life, Casio had been protected by the monsters and beasts around him and as a result, his innate kindness had been allowed to grow until it had consumed him entirely. He stopped for every homeless person on the streets, gave generously to charities for children and displaced women, and when something was slightly outside his own ability to assist with, begged Papa or Matteo to help him. Finding homes for all the stray dogs and cats had been such a constant task that Don Fabriano had finally been forced to hire a girl—a foster case Casio had been especially fond of—to deal with homing all the animals. Casio was the immediate favourite of everyone but never took advantage of the favour he found. His kindness was constant. The trade-off of such a sunny upbringing, though, was his profound disconnect from the evil that lurked out in the world. The concept of evil was simply beyond his comprehension, and the shadows that lurked outside his peripheries, attracted by the prospect of an easy target, were innumerable.

       Gian—who was now in his early fifties—had cautioned Giovanni when he was younger, advising him that his _padrone_ was going to be a handful, not because he himself was a particularly difficult or demanding master, but because his innocence made him a target. It was true—in the years since Casio started secondary school till now, Gio had been forced to “speak with” or outright “permanently relocate” nineteen individuals, both men and women. Gian, in his entire career as the _mostro_ to Lady Fabriano, had had to deal with only eight. Gian would proudly admit that his work was made easier by the fact that his mistress was herself well versed in both weaponry and hand-to-hand combat.

       Casio, on the other hand, while accurate and quite competent with a gun, was about as useful as a baby bird when it came to physical confrontation. Gio didn’t mind, though. He’d go the ends of the Earth and back if he had to.

       It also helped that there was a darkness within him that sang gleefully at the violence he dealt. He found perverse pleasure in feeling his knife slip like butter through an undeserving body and he constantly felt called to violence.

       Casio was the only one who could control it. He held the proverbial leash.

       “I know you’re different, love,” Gio said, turning Casio gently to look at him. “And it’s okay. That’s why I’m here. To protect you. But you have to let me do my job and trust that I only do what is absolutely necessary.” He stroked the boy’s face, cradling it in his big palm. Soft skin against calloused hands, light against tanned. “Okay?”

       Casio nodded, lip trembling but eyes accepting. Always accepting. “’kay. Okay.”

       “Good b—“

       Casio surged up, lips cutting off the _mostro_ ’s words. His arms wrapped around Gio’s back tightly, as if he wanted to meld them together as one. Gio quickly recovered from his surprise and moved to deepen the kiss, one hand going around to cradle his boy’s head and his tongue slipping out to brush Casio’s lips. The Fabriano heir moaned softly and parted his mouth, letting Gio’s tongue in to sweep across his.

       As if it had a mind of its own, Gio’s other hand slid up the boy’s shirt to rub against soft skin and to thumb against a sensitive nub, eliciting a surprised gasp and a moan that Gio swallowed. Forcing some clarity back into his mind, Gio pulled back gently and cupped Casio’s face in his hands, smiling at the dazed look in his eyes and the redness of his kiss-swollen lips.

       “Does your father know about us, Casio?”

       Casio shook his head, his movement limited by the older man’s hands. “I didn’t get a chance to tell him yet….Matteo knows, though. He figured it out and laughed. He’s okay with it.”

       “Good.” Gio kissed him again before picking him up suddenly by the thighs. Casio screamed in surprise, clinging instinctively to the other man. Gio laughed and pecked him on the nose. “Hold on tight.”

       Upstairs in the master bedroom, Gio lowered Casio gently onto the bed as if he were something fragile and precious. Smiling shyly, Casio pushed himself up to the pillows, legs parted to give Gio room. Sometime during the trip upstairs, the top few buttons on the white button-up he wore had come undone, leaving the shirt to slip off one pale shoulder in innocent allure.

       Gio tugged off his own shirt hurriedly and climbed up the bed to crouch predatorily over the boy, bracketing him between muscular arms. He gazed down at Casio, a small smile tugging at his mouth at the boy’s confusion.

        After a moment, Casio squirmed, bashful. “What?”

       “You’re beautiful,” Gio said simply. Laughing at the blush that flooded the boy’s face and the way his mouth opened and closed without any words, Gio dipped down and captured his lips again.

       Unbuttoning Casio’s shirt all the way but leaving it to frame around his body, he kissed and sucked little love bites across Casio’s collarbones and down his chest, stopping to pay extra attention to each rosy little nub and revelling in the soft moans he pulled from Casio’s mouth with each lick. When he reached the top of Casio’s trousers, he straightened up and yanked off his own trousers and pants before pulling off Casio’s. He stopped Casio from also taking off the now open button-up with a hand, saying “Keep it. It looks good.”

       Grabbing the bottle of lubricant from the bedside table drawer, Gio slicked up the fingers of one hand before pushing Casio back down with a gentle hand. “Relax,” was all he said before taking Casio in his mouth.

       Casio’s moans and little cries were music to his ears as he licked and sucked his way up and down Casio’s cock. A little suck at the tip made Casio writhe and cry out. So caught up was he in the pleasure that he didn’t notice when Gio breached him with the first finger. Gio slid his finger in and out a couple times, warming the boy up before curling it and brushing against his prostate directly. Casio curved up off the bed with a loud cry and Gio pushed him back down again, his hand rubbing soothing circles on his stomach.

       “Shh. Relax,” he murmured, pulling out and adding a second finger carefully. Casio moaned at the stretch, writhing as Gio impaled him on his fingers.

       Gio slowly and patiently opened him up, drinking in the cries and moans. When he deemed the boy ready, Gio pulled back, leaving Casio empty and staring up at him with glazed eyes.

       “Gio...” he moaned desperately. “Need…need—“

       “I know, baby, I know,” Gio reassured him. He slicked up his cock, hissing a little at the coldness, before hooking Casio’s legs over his shoulders and lining himself up.

       “Relax, love,” he murmured, slowly pushing in. Casio’s back arched as he was slowly impaled on the thick length and he moaned at the slight burn. His hands came up to grip hard shoulders.

       “Gio…” he said pleadingly. His _mostro_ understood and slowed his advance, kissing his _padrone_ ’s neck in apology and stroking his flagging erection.

       When Casio calmed and nodded at him, Gio pushed in again until he was flush against the boy and then drew back slowly all the way to the tip before thrusting back in again.

       He set a fast pace that had him placing his arms above Casio’s shoulders lest he should push him up the bed to knock against the headboard. Underneath him, Casio gave high-pitched, breathy moans with every thrust that tightened something Gio’s groin and urged him to thrust harder.

       Grunting, Gio suddenly pulled Casio up to sit on his lap and sped up his thrusts, bouncing the boy on the heated length piercing him. Casio moaned helplessly as his cock was trapped between their stomachs and stimulated with each thrust, his head lolling back as he was assaulted with pleasure.

       “Gio, oh God, I’m gonna—I’m gonna…” Casio gasped, tightening up around his _mostro_ , making him groan and give a particularly hard thrust.

       “Come, Cassie, come on,” Gio grunted, speeding up and nipping his collarbone.

       With a scream, Casio came in hard, creamy spurts across their chests. His inner walls tightened convulsively, milking Gio, who came with a grunt seconds later, filling the boy with wet heat.

       They stilled there, panting and trying to catch their breath, Casio whimpering each time Gio moved slightly, still sensitive. Finally, Gio kissed him on the neck and shifted to pull out gently, kissing Casio again when he whimpered at the friction against his tender hole. He wiped off their stomachs and cleaned Casio up with a warm washcloth before bringing Casio down to lie cradled facing him and tugged up a soft sheet to cover him.

       Shy again, Casio kissed Gio on the nose, laughing and wriggling when Gio copied him and tickled his belly. He shrieked with laughter when Gio, with a mischievous grin, ducked and blew a loud raspberry against his stomach, and swatted his head playfully.

       As they lay there, breathing deeply and Casio looking up at Gio with a sloppy grin on his face, Gio felt that this moment was worth it, worth everything he got his hands dirty with. It was worth all the blood and violence and strict upbringing if his _padrone_ was safe.

       “I love you,” Casio said softly, playing with the sparse hair of his forearms, the touches tickling.

       Gio smiled and kissed him on the forehead. “I love you too, Cassie. Always. Now sleep.”

\---

       It was in the early hours after midnight that Gio’s phone buzzed silently on the night table, waking him instantly. Looking at the caller ID, he picked up immediately.

       “Giovanni,” he said quietly, looking down at the sleeping form of Casio. Slowly getting out of bed as he listened to the caller, he pulled the duvet over the boy and tucked the covers around him. “Now? …Alright. I’ll be ready, don’t worry. Yeah. Bye.”

      Stifling a yawn, Gio dressed and grabbed his “kit”. As he was about to head out the door, he stopped. Plonking the kit on the kitchen table, he opened it to check he had everything.

      Knives. Piano wire. Bleach. Gun in pocket with clips for it in the kit.

       Hesitating for just a second, Gio located a piece of paper and a pen and scrawled a quick note.

                _Cassie love,_

_Gotta take care of something for your father. Stay inside today, and do NOT let anybody in._

_Your classes are taken care of. I’ll be back tonight._

_Gio_

       Leaving it on the night table, Gio left the apartment. Inside, the darkness was singing joyfully. Someone had made a threat to the Fabriano Family, to Casio, and someone was going to die tonight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 'Padrone' = 'master'
> 
> Thank you for coming along this ride with me! This was my first submission and an exercise in writing, so I hope to continue to improve as I go along. Cassie showers you with love and Giovanni watches you silently whilst sharpening his knife.


End file.
